Changeable sign



' June 11, 1929. R BROWN 1.716.760

CHANGEABLE S I GN Filed March 13, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l REEF awn I 1/ c1 From W1 I June 11, 1929. R. R BROWN CHANGEABLE SIGN 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed March 13, 1928- Elm-Wm fez REEF c1 WTL Patented June 11, 1929.

UNITED STATES ROBERT E. BROWN, OF IOWA CITY, IOWA.

CHANGE-ABLE SIGN.

Application filed March 13,

This invention relates to advertising devices and has for its object the provision of a novel and attractive apparatus which may be located at the outside of a building and operate automatically to display announcements and change the announcements at regular intervals. The invention also provides an apparatus for the stated purpose which will simulate a lantern and will house within its main body portion a. plurality of announcement cards which are successively shifted about the center of the body so that the opposite sides of the cards will be alternately exposed to view. The invention also provides novel means for controlling the movement of the cards, all of which will be hereinafter fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features of which will be particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figures 1 and 2 are elevations of an apparatus embodying the invention, Fig. 1 being partly broken away and in section.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of a display card together with the mounting of the same;

Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail view of a stop member which is interposed in the path of the cards to interrupt the movement of the same and hold them momentarily in display position; a

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section on the line 55 of Fig. 3, and

Fig.6 is an enlarged detail section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a pedestal consisting"of a base plate 1 of sufiicient area and weight to rest firmly upon the ground or other fixed support and not be easily shifted or overturned. Rising centrally from the base plate is a post or column 2 which carries at its upper end a table 3 upon which the advertising apparatus may be supported. The housing or body of the apparatus comprises a bottom member which includes a chamber at of proper diameter to rest easily upon the table 3 and be supported thereby and an upperreduced neck portion 5, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This bottom member is preferably hexagonal and the several sides or panels may be ornamented in any desired manner so that the device will have an attractive appearance. The main body or housing of the apparatus consists of a 1928. Serial No. 261,391.-

bottom plate 6 which rests directly upon the reduced neck 5 of the lower member and may be secured thereto in any convenient manner or may be formed integral therewith and rising from this plate atdiametrically opposite points are side bars 7 which are preferably of channel form, as shown in Fig. 4. Disposed between and secured to the upper ends of these side. bars is a roof consisting of a wall member 8 and a covering 9 which are also preferably of hexagonal form and are provided upon their several sides or panels with ornamental plates '10 which may be of glass or any other material which will impart an ornamental and attractive appearance to the apparatus. A glass strip 11 is also preferably provided upon the outer side of one side bar 7 and when the device is set up this ornamental side bar will be placed at the front so that the other side bar will be necessarily disposed against or facing the building and the display cards will be so arranged that they may be viewed by. persons approaching in either direction- Extending between the side bars and held by the plate (3 and the.

wall 8 of the roof are semi-cylindrical glass plates, indicated at 12, which will enclose the display cards 13 while permitting the same to be read by passers-by. Disposed centrally upon the roof is a cap comprising diametrically opposite side bars 14 of metal or other suitable material and semi-cylindrical glass walls 15 extending between said side bars, as will be understood. Over the glass walls 15 and the upper ends of the side bars 14 is secured a cap plate 16 which may be given any approved ornamental contour and is preferably of metal or some other durable material. It will be seen at once that the housing structure has an outline closely simulating the outline of a lantern and to carry out the resemblance to a lantern a bail 17 is attached to the upper ends of the side bars 7 and rises therefrom over the roof and cap, as clearly shown. The glass walls of the cap may be'ornamented in any desired manner and may also carry advertising matter referring to the establishment at or in which the device is set VVithin the bottom chamber 4 is a supplemental frame 18 carrying a train of speed reducing gears 19 and a small electric motor 20 which has its motor shaft geared to the main drive gear 21 of the speed reducing train. Driven by the motor and said gearing is a shaft 22 which has its lower end suitably supported in the supplemental frame 18 and rises therefrom centrally through the housing structure and is journaled between its ends in a bearing carried by the plate 6 of the main body. Upon the upper end portion of the shaft 22, I secure three disks or circular plates 24:, 25 and 26, the bottom plate 2-1 being secured between jamb nuts 27 and the intermediate plate 25 resting upon the upper jamb nut, as shown in Fig. 3. Be tween the disks 25 and 26 is a spacer or hub member 28 consisting of a solid block of wood or other firm material encircling the shaft and having openings therethrough to receive bolts 29 which pass through the disks 25 and 26, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby relative movement of the disks will be prevented.

A nut 30 is mounted upon the shaft above the disk 26 and bears thereon so that the disks will be firmly secured in their proper spaced relation, and a cap nut 31 may be fitted on the upper extremity of the shaft to protect the threads of the same, as will be understood. The top disk 26 and the intermediate disk 25 have openings formed therethrough at regular intervals adjacent their peripheries, and these openings are so disposed that corresponding openings in the two disks will be vertically alined to receive the pivotal portions 32 of sign-carrying arms 33, said pivotal portions being inserted loose- 1y through the alined openings of the top and intermediate disks and resting at their lower ends upon the bottom disk 24. The main portion of these sign-carrying arms extends outward from the disks, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3, and their free ends are turned laterally to provide hooks or points engaged through openings 34 provided therefor in sign-carrying plates 35. Tension springs 36 are coiled around the respective pivots 32 and havetheir lower ends secured in any approved manner to the intermediate disk 25 and their upper ends extended outwardly and attached to the signca-rrying plates 35, as shown in Fig. 3. The plates may be of sheet metal and it is the intention that the announcement cards 13 be removably attached to the carrier plates so that the cards may be changed whenever desired. To attach the cards to the respective plates or hangers, tying elements 37 which are preferably light rods or wires, are attached at their ends to the cards near the upper edges of the same to be inserted through openings 38 provided therefor in the hanger plates near the lower edges of the same, as will be understood upon reference to Figs. 3 and 5. After being inserted through the openings 38, the tying elements are bent close against the hanger plate and are then engaged by a button 39 which is pivotally mounted upon the hanger plate and adapted to be turned up across the overlapped ends of the tying elements, as will be understood upon reference to Figs. 3, 5 and 6, thereby holding the display card firmly to the plate.

From what has been said, it will be understood that the shaft 22 is rotated slowly and the several announcement cards are thereby carried around the shaft within the casing so that the opposite faces of the cards will be exposed to View. It is obviously desirable that the movement of the cards be anrested at intervals for short periods so that the announcements thereon may be read, and for this purpose there is provided upon each side bar 7 a stop member which projects into the path of the outer side edge of the cards which will arrest the travel of the cards until, through the rotation of the shaft, the card is caused to clear the stop. The stop member is shown clearly in Fig. 4L and eon1- prises a roller 40 mounted on the uptin'ned end 41 of a bracket or supporting arm 42 which is rigidly secured within the channel of the side bar. The several disks 2t, 25 and 26, being rigidly connected with the shaft 22, will rotate therewith and inasmuch as the sign-carrying arms 33 are mounted in the disks, they will, of course, travel around the shaft with the disks. Normally the tension of the spring 36 is such that the arm will extend radially from the disks and the sign will be supported in a corresponding position. As the rotation of the shaft brings the sign into display position, the outer edge of the sign will be brought into contact with the stop 40 and the travel of the sign will, consequently, be retarded'so that the arm 33 swings backwardly. relative to the disks and the tension of the spring 36 is, therefore, increased. hen the tension of the spring exceeds the retarding force of the stop 40, the edge of the card will be brought past the stop so as to clear the same and the card is then at once swung quickly to the opposite side of the shaft so that the face of the card which was previously obscured will then be exposed to view, it being understood that the pivot 32 moves constantly and at an even speed with the disks so that the arm 33 will approach a position tangential to the disks while the stop is active and the display card is consequently shifted likewise so that after a short interval it readily clears the stop and is swung rapidly to the opposite side of the housing. The period during which the travel of the card is retarded is suflicient to permit the announcement thereon to be read, and it will be understood that, inasmuch as a stop is provided upon each side bar, the travel of the display cards will be interrupted twice during each complete revolution and, therefore, announcements may be seen by persons approaching the apparatus from either direction. The device is exceedingly simple and may be produced and operated at very slight expense. The detachable mountingof the cards 13 upon the hanger plates permits the cards to be easily and quickly changed Without re quiring any disarrangement of the hanger plates or the carrier arms 33 and extensive disassen'ibling of the operating mechanism is, therefore, unnecessary.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. An advertising apparatus comprising a body having transparent sides through which announcements may be read, a roof member covering the upper end of said body, and a cap of less diameter than the roof rising centrally therefrom, a lower member below said body comprising a supporting chamber and a reduced neck connecting the chamber with the body, a motor housed within the chamber, a shaft rising. centrally through the chamber, the reduced neck and the body, display cards carried by the up- F per portion of the shaft, and speed reducing gearing connecting the motor with the lower end of the shaft.

2. In an advertising apparatus, the combination of a housing body, a shaft mounted centrally therein, means for constantly rotating the shaft, carrying arms pivotally supported upon the upper end portion of the shaft, announcement cards suspended from the outer free ends of the said arms,

stops on the sides ofthe body in the path of the outer edges of the cards, and tension springs having one end fixed relative to the shaft and to the carrier arms and their other ends attached to the announcement cards.

3. In advertising apparatus, the combination of a housing, a shaft mounted centrally therein, carrying arms pivotally supported at their inner ends by the shaft, announcement cards suspended on the outer free ends of the carrying arms, fixed stops secured to the housing body at diametrically opposite points and comprising brackets having upturned terminals and rollers mounted on said terminals and disposed in the path of the outer edge portions of the cards, and tension springs having one end fixed relative to the shaft and the carrying arms and the other end connected with the cards.

4-. In an advertising apparatus of the character described, the combination of a rotating shaft, carrying arms pivotally supported by the upper end of the shaft, plates suspended on the free ends of the respective arms, announcement cards, tying elements carried by the upper end portions of the cards and adapted to be engaged with the suspended plates with their ends in over lapping relation, and fastening elements mounted on the plates and adapted to engage over the overlapped ends of the tying elements.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ROBERT R. BROVN. LL. s] 

